Somalia Islamist attack on UN compound leaves 15 dead

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Al-Qaida-linked militants in Somalia said they attacked a United Nations compound in the capital, Mogadishu. At least 15 people died, according to the government.

Gunmen entered the UN Common Compound in the south of the city by foot after a truck packed with explosives blew up outside the gate, Nicholas Kay, the UN’s special representative for Somalia, said in an emailed statement. Explosions and gunfire rang out as staff gathered in a secure area, he said.

At least four foreigners and seven of the attackers are among the dead and dozens more were wounded, National Security Minister Abdikarim Hussein Guled told reporters in the city. The UN is trying to verify reports of casualties. “There are certainly some injured and most likely worse,” Kay said.

Al-Shabaab, the militant group affiliated to al-Qaida, has waged an insurgency against government forces since at least 2006. From August 2011, troops with the African Union Mission in Somalia, or Amisom, and the Ethiopian and Kenyan military have forced the militia to flee key areas including Mogadishu, the port of Kismayo and Baidoa, one of the largest cities.

Three Britons, two Kenyans and a South African were among 16 UN workers killed in today’s attack, according to a post on al-Shabaab’s Twitter account. It said the UN was attacked because it represents a “monolithic block in the path toward the establishment of Allah’s law on earth,” it said.

Denel SOC, South Africa’s state-owned armaments company, said three employees were killed in the attack, comprising two South Africans and one Somali national. They were providing de-mining services to the UN, Denel said in an e- mailed statement.

There have been no major advances by Amisom to recover more territory from al-Shabaab since the end of March because of “both operational and resource limitations,” the African Union said in a report last week.

The group “is far from being defeated and hence the fight against al-Shabaab cannot be declared won,” the continental body said. “The group’s fighters have melted into various communities in different regions, seeking to exploit clan rivalries and political disagreements, as well as the absence of effective local administrations.”

The attack will not deter efforts to end terrorism within Somalia, Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon said today.

“Somali and AMISOM security forces responded immediately to the situation after the initial explosion and have brought the situation under control,” he said. “Al-Shabaab will not derail the peace process. They will not stop our recovery.”